GENÈVE -faiblesse de l´innovation>>peut-on s’habiller en respectant la planète? Pas évident, car certaines matières, comme le coton (acide organique), nécessitent beaucoup de pesticides pour être cultivées et transformées. Pour choisir un vêtement bio, il faut donc être attentive à sa fabrication en repérant les bons labels.
A l’occasion de l´année de la biodiversité, des dizaines de créateurs venus du monde entier se sont mobilisés pour montrer que la haute couture peut aussi respecter la planète. A l’occasion d’un défilé exceptionnel aux Palais des Nations Unies de Genève, ils ont dévoilé des modèles entièrement conçus en fibres naturelles comme le bambou, la soie biologique, le soja ou encore le chanvre. Nom de l’événement? Ecochicfashion – une entreprise agissant éco-responsable.
Cet événement, organisé par la fondation Green2Greener nous prouve qu’écologie rime aussi avec sexy. Les prochains défilés passeront par Bombay et New York. Cette magnifique robe d’un créateur, donne envie de jouer avec les reliefs. Sa robe est entièrement faite de fibre d’ananas et le collier, composé de coquilles recyclées. De quoi nous donner des idées pour rendre notre garde-robe plus écologique. Quant aux bonnes adresses pour s’habiller écolo, elles sont ici.
WABI connotes rustic freshness or quietness and can be applied to both natural and human-made objects to understand elegance to the work of Parisian designer Pierre Cardin. The most iconic exmaple of wabi is the Japanese tea ceremony, in which the pottery items used are often rustc and symmetreical. His just-shown autumn/winter ready-to-wear collections were with nods to the 60ies in particular the high-haired dance-skirt-wearing women seen at Prada and Giles, and a recreation of the 60ies version of what the future would look like at Balenciaga.
Some of the most defining silhouettes that came from the 1960ies were the result of Pierre Cardin´s futuristic aesthetic, and now with Assouline releasing a 60th anniversary coffee table book to honour the designer´s contribution to fashion, it´s time to reassess Monsieur Cardin. While London (specifically Carnaby Street) was in the sharp-tailored throes of the mod movement, Cardin was setting a standard for high-end, experimental fashion in Europe. At the time his designs were truly space-age, and his galactic, geometric shapes completely ignored the female form – an approach that hadn´t really been seen before. Fashion as an art form was favoured over practicality, and a new, more fashion-forward way of thinking was applied to clothes design. The legendary bubble dresses aside, it was also Cardin´s knack for business that made his brand a success. In 1956, just six years after starting up his enterprise (and having international success with the aforementioned bubble dress) Cardin made a trip to Japan. He was the first couturier to look to Japan as a high-fashion market, which proved to be a savvy and lucrative move. He was also one of the first designers to pad out business and branch out the first financially worthwhile collaborations (in the 1970ies he designed the industrials of popular American car model AMC Javelin). Of course, you could argue that a designer going into mass media overdrive doesn´t always guarantee a lasting relevance.
The release of the book, however, is a ll about celebration. Penned by Jean –Pascal Hesse, Cardin´s director of communications for almost 15 years, the book focuses on Pierre´s position in Parisian fashion history. Having worked with Elsa Schiaparelli and then Christian Dior in the 40ies while he was setting up his business, Cardin is a rarity. An original couturier who is still among us and these days is best known for his costume work on international theatre and opera productions – and his chain of restaurants, Maxim´s. When a few drops of olive oil splatter your freshly pressed dress shirt at lunch. And although he may not be churning out groundbreaking designs for the ready –to-wear world anymore, the countless exhibitions that pop up in his honour worldwide almost every year, and the release of this book, are proof that he´s still the hottest reference point going – Pierre Cardin 60 years of Innovation is published by 55, Assouline
What counts is the future – Industrial Revolution Parts – In 1968 the Whole Earth Catalogue was published out of San Francisco, California, and launched a do-it-yourself revolution. Encouraging an alternative to big business through an awareness of
ecology and access to simple tools, the hefty catalogue inspired an counterculture movement to take
responsibility for the planet and empower individual creativity. And despite the pace of the 21st century
Americans, a revival of the book´s manifesto is afoot with a renewed interest in slow-down activities
such as yoga, meditation, hiking, and bicycling, and what was once known as women´s work – knitting,
needlepoint, felting, and other crafts.
On the West Coast, a dichotomy between high-and low-tech lifestyles is evident: a computer programmer spends ten
hours coding numbers and then races home to meet a weekly knitting group. A hedge-fund manager juggies billions
of dollars a day and group. A hedge-fund manager juggles billions of dollars a day and bikes home to cook an organic,
vegetarian meal. I agree an appreciation for process and the artistry behind everyday products, combined with growing ethical, socially conscious and ecological concerns, has consumers asking everything from who is making my tshirt to where did the beef in this cheeseburger come from?
People in this town stay out their way to frequent the pop coffee shop and support the struggling farmer and artist,
says Portland, Oregon, whose boutique, Seaplane, exclusively sells handmade clothing from independent designers. They dont always understand the work that goes into each piece, but they like the inviduality and local factor, Crafts artists, such as potter Kristin Nelson, owner of Kri Kri Studio in Seattle, Washington, are finding success while balancing a busy working life with a personal one. Her handmade ceramic dinnerware an vases are in demand at Barneys New York in Japan, and celebrities sch as Jack Nicholson, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Whoopie Goldberg have scooped up her work in LA. “Ive worked hard to have a business that allows me to express myself and still spend time kayaking with my husband,” Nelson said. The Internet has made the world more accessible and, some might argue, more impersonal, but the social effects are suprising. Rather than causing consumers to stay indoors and purchase a glut of less-expensive factory-made jeans and sweatshirts online, the resources on the Internet have inspired many people to look closer to home to find, for instance, organic, bamboo-fibre jeans made not only in the USA, but in their own neighbourhood, like the ones Carol Young produces in the Los Feliz area of east LA for her label, Undesigned. “My customes want to have connections to the designer”, says Young, whose line of women´s wear is made from eco-friendly and recycled cottons, bamboo and soy fibres. She describes her customers as extremely loyal, partly due to herearth-friendly materials and green production methods. Like a growing number of West Coast designers, particularly in LA, Young outsources nothing overseas, producing everything locally. The fact that my customers know where everything is coming from an added bonus for them, she says.
Handbag designer Kim White struck gold when she uncovered a stash of vintage car upholstery in an old warehouse outside of LA, i guess in Vancouver. She modifed her nascent handbag line to showcase the textiles and became an instant success, with flattering coverage in fashion magazines and orders from – from the spirit of the traveler inhabites each piece…giving the garments a soulful feel. – check www.dormeuil.com — www.tailor-b2b.de — www.urbancraftuprising.com.
We live in a world where mass consumption forms an essential part of our everyday experience. Seems like Derek Lam – the linear style, unerscored by neutral tones, is a homage to the American designer Claire McCardell, pioneer of timeless, practical sportswear, with elegance in straight tunics and generous comfortable trousers. Derek adds drapes, shortens the skirts and enlivens them with dynamic asymmetric cuts. The predominants white and black is punctuated with flashes of colour, tartan checks and metallic fabrics.The cultural innvators of today are already carrying forward the values of the next generation. I am actually thinking about what to eat – i never eat something i didnt prepare or buy by myself. Fibre producers are also promoting blends with natural fibres for the additional properties and benefits they might bring to the blend. Dormeuil´s new vanquish&Sanquish. Talking of high quality, Dormeuil has produced one of the most expensive fabrics ever. Dormeuil has developed a new British spun and woven cloth, which probably breaks even more price barriers. Called Vanquish and Sanquish, sumptuously soft and supple, this is the first fabric to combine vicuna fibre from the Andes in South America with pashmina – from the cashmere goat found in the Himalayas in Ladakh. Produced in very limited quantities, it is the reserve of a small number of individuals who can afford it. An added feature is the Lumatwill version, using a reflective yarn that illuminates sprays by night – a practical solution for nighttime urban pedestrians and cyclists. With more than 20 years experience in the business, Cotto will be dealing with the company´s main international clients in Europe, Japan and the international business, many publications will also take it up. It reminds me a bit of Margiela The Bottom Line which give customers fun choices. Seems like a boarder line – the identity of a fashion designer cannot be manipulated. My links are this year sheerness, transparency, mesh constructions – some kind of masculine credibility.
Seems like my old approach – textures rge to be touched, colours demand to be absorbed liquid and ingested like potent laboratory concoctions that will transform beasts into beauties – IQ gender like a protective layer – the metamorphosis of humble materials. And…HAHA… it is a bit confusing if somebody birdbrained appears on set where i do my personal videos and wants to explain to me that i am not involved HAHA. You are chuckleheaded – i am in Europe, please turn off your piezoelectric microphones i am not interested in doubles. It´s not my imperfection that you didn´t made it to the cover pages or penetration – there are some compulsory and advisory critical levels.
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